LinkedIn Account Missing from Authenticator App

Question

A LinkedIn account is set up in an authenticator app, but after changing devices, it is no longer visible, preventing access to the account due to the required 6-digit code. Attempts to verify identity through LinkedIn via Persona have been unsuccessful, as it indicates that records already exist.

Is there a way to recover the LinkedIn account, and what might have caused its removal from the authenticator app?

Answer 1

Hi @🅰🅱🅸🅳 🆀🅰🆁🅰🆁

Thank you so much for contacting Microsoft Q&A Support. 

Following a review of your concern, we would like to provide clarification and offer several suggestions that may assist you in recovering access to your LinkedIn account. It appears that the LinkedIn two-factor authentication (2FA) entry was not restored in your Authenticator app after changing devices. This may have occurred due to one or more of the following reasons: 

• Cloud backup was not enabled in the Authenticator app. 
• The app was reinstalled without restoring from a previous backup. 
• The LinkedIn 2FA was configured as a time-based one-time password (TOTP) and not linked to your Microsoft account. 

Recommended Steps to Recover Your LinkedIn Account: 

**1. Identity Verification via Persona **

LinkedIn utilizes Persona to verify user identity through a government-issued ID. If you have already attempted this and received a message such as “records already exist,” it may indicate: 

• A previous verification attempt is still under review or was unsuccessful. 
• You may need to retry the process using a different browser or device. 

You may refer to the official guidance here:  🔗 LinkedIn Identity Verification Help 

Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link. 

2. Retry Persona Verification 

• Use a different browser or device. 
• Clear your browser cache or use an incognito/private browsing session. 
• Ensure your identification document is valid, unexpired, and clearly visible. 
• If prompted, complete the selfie verification step to match your ID. 

**3. Contact LinkedIn Support **

If Persona verification continues to fail: 

• Visit the LinkedIn Help Center. 
• Select “Contact Us”, then choose “Access Issues” > “Two-step verification”. 
• Clearly explain that you have lost access to your Authenticator app and are unable to complete the Persona verification process. 

**4. Check for Authenticator Backup **

If you previously enabled cloud backup in your Authenticator app (e.g., Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator), you may be able to restore your 2FA entries by signing in with the same account used for the backup. 

Please note that LinkedIn is a third-party service, and as such, we are unable to perform these actions on your behalf due to privacy and data protection policies. We kindly encourage you to follow the steps outlined above to regain access to your account. 

We hope this information proves helpful and enables you to resume access to your LinkedIn account. If you have any questions, we are always here. 

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